A Konoha Girls' Night
by Lutralutra
Summary: Five kunoichi gather to share their favourite moments of sweet romance...[InoChou, SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaTema]
1. Chapter 1: The Start of the Spilling

**A Konoha Girls' Night**

**by LutraShinobi**

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Nope, all the well-deserved credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto!

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Chapter 1 - The Start of the Spilling

A tall, confident young kunoichi with four spiky, blond ponytails sticking out of her head waited impatiently on a doorstep, tapping her foot. She rang the bell for the sixth time, then huffed and sat down when no one answered. _I should never have let that irritating blonde rope me into this, _she thought. _We'll probably only be doing dumb stuff, too, like putting on nail polish and gossiping. My time would be so much better used training. _

At that moment a pink car drove up in front of the girl and screeched to a stop. Out hopped four of her fellow kunoichi. A fashionable blonde jumped out first and smiled widely.

"Hey, Temari!" the blonde said enthusiastically. "I'm so glad you made it!"

"Hey, Ino," Temari replied, with less eagerness. "You kept me waiting long enough!"

Ino explained, apologetic, "Sorry about that. I had to go pick up my other friends, see? Here they are!" She proceeded to introduce her companions, one by one.

"This is Sakura, my best friend, although sometimes my worst enemy too," she began, referring to the girl with green eyes and bubble gum-pink hair beside her. Sakura shot an annoyed sideways glance at Ino, then smiled at Temari.

"This is Hinata, another friend. She's really shy, but incredible underneath!" A girl with dark, purplish-black hair blushed furiously at Ino's words. "And this is Tenten! Tenten, besides being an amazing handler of kunai and shruiken, is really athletic and cool." Ino nudged the girl with dark brown hair bound into two low buns, who grinned and waved.

Temari waited for Ino to finish before saying, "We've met."

Ino paused, then remembered. "Oh yeah, at the Chuunin Exams! Those were brutal, weren't they? But let's get down to business now." She skipped happily into the house, ahead of everyone else. Temari followed along with the three others, asking Tenten warily, "Exactly what kind of 'business' are we talking here?"

Tenten shrugged. "All kinds of stuff," she replied. "Every so often Ino organizes a Girls' Night for us. We do the usual girly things - make-up and whatnot. But don't worry," she said, catching Temari's look of horror, "Ino doesn't _make _you do that stuff. Not usually, anyway. Most of us just sit around and talk."

Temari wondered, again, why she had let Ino convince her to come. Temari, who was from Suna, the Sand Village, was visiting Konoha with her brothers for a week, and had run into Ino at the market. Ino had invited her to a sleepover at her house, but Temari had tried to decline, saying it wasn't "her thing". But Ino wouldn't take no for an answer, and nagged her until she agreed to give it a try, an action which Temari sincerely regretted now that she had an idea of what she was in for.

It took about fifteen minutes for the five girls to gather in Ino's bedroom, armed with popcorn, chips and other junk food. Ino and Sakura climbed onto the bed, Tenten took Ino's spinning desk chair, and Temari curled up on the carpet with Hinata.

"All right, so what are we going to do first?" Ino asked. "Make-up, movie or talk?"

"Movie," Sakura said.

"Movie," Hinata agreed.

"Talk," Temari broke in hurriedly. _Anything _was better than make-up, and she had caught a glimpse of the movie Ino had selected - some mushy-gushy romantic comedy.

"Talk," Tenten supported her.

"Well, I guess it's pointless to vote make-up now," Ino said, pouting. "Hmm... let's see... all right then, I say talk. We can watch the movie when we're about to go to bed." Temari breathed out a sigh of relief, which was sucked back in with dismay when Ino decided on the topic of conversation.

"All right, girls, it's time to spill the secrets of our love lives!" Ino said cheerily. Sakura laughed, then paled when she realized Ino wasn't kidding. Hinata blushed again, Tenten choked on a mouthful of popcorn, and Temari peered out the window, wondering whether jumping from it would be more painful than what was to come.

"Come on, Ino, you aren't serious??" Sakura exclaimed. "I'm not going to tell you any of my romantic moments with Sasuke-kun!"

Ino ignored her and turned to Hinata. "Hinata, you can go first."

"N-no!" Hinata protested in quiet, stuttered distress.

"Okay then, Temari," Ino persisted, unperturbed by all the negative reactions. Temari gave her a look that said, _In your dreams._

"Stop it, Ino!" Sakura ordered. "Temari's your special guest; it would be churlish to make her go first. And _I _most certainly am not starting off!"

"Same goes for me," Tenten put in. "I say _you _go first, Ino. It was your idea, after all."

"You guys are so mean, always ganging up on me!" Ino said, looking hurt. Then she sighed and gave in, saying resignedly, "All right then, I'll go. But only if Sakura's second!"

"Deal," Sakura said promptly. "Now, let's start with the basic question: who's your boyfriend?"

"Chouji," Ino answered without a trace of embarrassment. _Wow, she actually hooked up with that chubby kid? _Temari thought, amazed. _And I thought she was the shallowest of them all, always chasing after that Uchiha ice cube..._

"Perfect," Tenten said. "Now, spill!"

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There's the first chapter, hope you liked it :) This will basically be a collection of romantic oneshots. The pairings are InoxChouji, HinataxNaruto, SakuraxSasuke, TentenxNeji and TemarixShikamaru. Sorry ShikaIno fans, but I've never liked that pairing - I think Temari goes way better with Shikamaru. Only I'm not sure at all how to write InoChou, since I've never taken much of an interest in either character... but I'll definitely give it my best shot. Thanks for reading, and please review! 


	2. Chapter 2: First Love at the Flower Shop

Well, here's Chapter 2. I realized two things after logging out last time: 1) I had forgotten to put a disclaimer, so I've added that now, and 2) I had forgotten to give Chapter 1 a title, so I've added that too. Lol, absent-minded much? As for your question, Xxcrimsonxgothicxtidex, I'm not exactly sure yet what I have in store for SasuSaku. I just kind of write whenever the inspiration hits me, and it can hit in many forms! None of my romantic moments will ever be graphic, though. I don't really go past kissing. But I don't think it's necessary - the best moments are the light ones full of love :)

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Chapter 2 - First Love at the Flower Shop

Ino paused dramatically before beginning her story. "Well, the way Chouji and I first got romantically involved with each other was sweet, so I'll tell you guys about that. It happened like this..."

* * *

It was one of those dull "down" days for Ino, when she was left at loose ends and failed to conceal the fact from her parents, who promptly assigned her a long day of working at the Yamanaka family flower shop. 

Ino didn't mind working, it was just that all the customers were so tedious. Some of them were old men looking to buy something pretty for other old women, and they immediately started talking about how their generation was far superior to "today's young hoodlums" the moment they saw Ino. The rest of the clients were usually nervous young men who dawdled in the shop for hours, going through the entire flower selection several times before buying anything. They were head over heels in love with some girl, and utterly terrified of rejection. It took all of Ino's patience not to shout, "Just buy the stupid flowers already!" Sometimes they even came rushing back just minutes after leaving the shop, to exchange the flowers they'd bought for different ones. And they were all so disappointingly average-looking, too!

Today, however, would be special, and Ino knew that when she spotted a familiar chubby figure in a green unbuttoned jacket, with two ginger-coloured tufts of hair sticking out from either side of an underwear-shaped forehead protector, lounging in the corner.

"Chouji!" she cried, immensely pleased to see a friendly face.

Chouji, Ino's food-loving teammate, looked up and, seeing her, made for the exit, but Ino caught him by the shoulder, beaming. "Hey, Chouji!"

Chouji had a guilty look on his face, as if he'd been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. "Hey, Ino," he said half-heartedly.

"What are _you _doing in a flower shop?" Ino wanted to know.

"Nothing much," Chouji muttered. Ino watched a blush spread slowly across his cheeks and squealed accusingly, "You're buying flowers for a _girl, _aren't you? Aren't you??"

"Maybe," was all Chouji would admit, but he knew he'd been discovered.

"Ooh, that's so cute!" Ino gushed. "Who is it? C'mon, tell me!"

Chouji normally gave in to Ino fairly quickly, knowing from experience how unbearable her nagging was, but in this matter he continued to defy her, embarrassed but steadfast. Finally Ino got off his case, but still insisted on helping him pick the flowers.

"What's her favourite kind?" Ino asked.

"I dunno, what's yours?" Chouji said, now resigned to Ino's company.

She was a bit taken aback by the question, but replied readily. "Uh, well, I really like irises," Ino said, nodding towards a flower with elegant, curling purple petals.

"I'll take a few of those, then," Chouji said. He followed Ino to the counter and paid for the flowers, even though Ino tried to convince him to take them for free. He was one of her best friends, after all. After that she attempted to persuade him to stay and chat, but he declined that too.

Ino had only been staring disappointedly at the door Chouji had left by for a minute when she noticed that there was a small bouquet of irises lying on the counter. _Oh, no, Chouji forgot his flowers! _she thought, and hurried out into the street after him, pausing only to put the "Back In A Minute" sign up in the window.

She saw his retreating back just a little ways down the street and had caught up with him within thirty seconds. "Chouji...!" she called breathlessly. "You forgot these!" She pressed the flowers into his hand.

"Oh, well, thanks, Ino," Chouji said, flushing again. _Which is really odd, _Ino thought. _Chouji's not the blushing type. _"You've been acting weird today, Chouji," she said. "What's up?"

Chouji opened his mouth and Ino was sure he was just going to brush her off with another "Nothing", but then he seemed to swallow the words. When he looked at her again, his eyes were begging her not to laugh.

"The truth... the truth is, Ino, I left the flowers at your desk... on purpose," Chouji confessed, hanging his head.

Ino was too surprised to laugh. "Why would you do that?"

"Well... because..." Chouji began, trailed off, then gathered his courage and went for the plunge. "Because you're the girl I was buying flowers for, so I wanted you to have them." He said this very fast, and shot a quick look at her to see her reaction.

Ino was open-mouthed. "You mean... you don't mean... you _like _me, Chouji? In _that _way?" She had never in all her wildest dreams imagined anything like this. _Chouji?? In love with me?_

"Yeah," Chouji said sheepishly. "I do, Ino. I have for a while now." He handed the irises back to her. She took them, still not over her shock. Then she realized Chouji was waiting for a response of some kind.

"That was... really nice of you, Chouji," Ino said sincerely. "Thanks." Then, on impulse, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He stopped himself from reeling back like a drunk only through strong willpower.

"You're welcome," he murmured, dazed by the feeling of her lips on his skin. Ino smiled at him. It felt good to daze someone.

All the same, inside her, emotions were churning. _I like Sasuke-kun, don't I? _she thought. _But...not really. I've given up on him. And Chouji's a really thoughtful guy... not that I could ever call him Chouji-kun. That definitely doesn't have the proper ring to it. _

_I suppose I can give him a chance - he deserves that much just for doing something this sweet! _Ino decided. "Chouji?" she tried.

"Yes?" Chouji had almost recovered from her impromptu kiss by now. Almost.

"Do you want to go somewhere together for dinner tonight?" Ino asked. She couldn't believe what she was saying, but it didn't sound all that outlandish now that it was out of her mouth.

Chouji looked incredulous for a moment, then he grinned. "I'd like that, Ino."

Ino smiled back, clutching the flowers he'd given her. "So would I."

* * *

Ino ended her story, looking satisfied. "Let's see you beat _that _for cuteness, Sakura!" she challenged. Temari snorted. _So it's a "cute" competition now, is it? _

"It _was _cute," Hinata said shyly, smiling.

"Maximum cute," Tenten agreed.

"I don't know whether 'cute' is the best adjective to describe the relationship between Sasuke-kun and me," Sakura put in cautiously.

"Oh, so now we're getting into serious drama, are we?" Temari said. Actually, listening to Ino's tale hadn't been too bad. Of course, it would be a different story when it was _her _turn.

Sakura blushed, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Do I _have_ to share a 'moment', Ino?" she begged. But Ino was ruthless. "We made a deal, Sakura - I go first if you go second. I kept my part, so you keep yours!"

"I don't think Sasuke-kun would appreciate-" Sakura started, but was interrupted by Tenten, who encouraged her, "Don't worry, Sakura, we'll stick up for you if the Uchiha gives you a hard time."

"Sure," Ino added her support. "Besides, boys should know that having a girlfriend is like signing a contract agreeing to have all your special moments gossiped about at sleepovers." Temari raised her eyebrows at this questionable declaration. _I'll have to tell Shikamaru that, _she thought, smirking.

"Okay, fine," Sakura sighed, giving in. "But this is going against all my principles."

"Yeah, whatever," Ino said dismissively. "Just get on with it! I want to have time to do make-up and watch the movie!"

Temari sweat-dropped at that. "Take your time, Sakura," she said quickly.

"Thanks, Temari," Sakura said. "But I just want to get this over with!"

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There you go, hope you liked it :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I'm always looking for more feedback! Next up, SasuSaku! 


	3. Chapter 3: What I Want

Chapter 3 - What I Want

Hey, everybody, and welcome to Chapter 3 of "A Konoha Girls' Night". Thanks for sticking with this story! I know, it's crazy, I've updated every day so far. I hope you all consider that a good thing:P Well, enjoy!

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"Sasuke's a... sort of _different _boyfriend," Sakura began. "He's not very warm, he doesn't show his love much. But if you learn to look for the little signs, then you can see the true nature of his affections." She paused to think for a moment. "Well, there's one moment, I guess, soon after we first became boyfriend and girlfriend... I'll tell you about that one." She took a deep breath. "Here goes..."

* * *

Sakura stood hunched over, breathing hard. She was in the middle of her usual weekend afternoon target practice. Straightening, she pulled out another kunai and drew her arm back to release it. 

Suddenly, she felt five sinewy fingers wrap themselves around her wrist. Startled into action, she whirled, bringing her leg up in a rapid knee-to-groin move. Her so-called attacker evaded it easily. Sakura found herself staring into the overly handsome face of her teammate Uchiha Sasuke. His pale-skinned face, with the spiky black hair framing it, was decorated with a smirk.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura was surprised to see her boyfriend there. She felt a secret thrill at using the word "boyfriend" in connection with Sasuke - she still couldn't quite believe she'd finally hooked up with him, only a few weeks ago. Of course, nothing had really _happened _yet. "What are you doing here?"

He ignored her question, saying instead, "Your wrist movement is wrong. You need more of a flick as you let go of the kunai." Sakura acknowledged his advice, and threw the kunai, but she still didn't have the hang of it. He jerked his head impatiently, saying, "Like this."

Sasuke took her wrist again, drew it back, then pushed it forward, flicking it slightly downwards as he did so. The kunai she'd been holding flew out of her hand and landed dead center on the target. She stared at it in surprise for a moment, then turned to smile at Sasuke. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun!" She started to hug him, but he pulled back.

Sakura stepped back, disappointed and more than a little hurt. This wasn't the first time he'd rejected her touch. "Sasuke-kun... why do you always draw back?" she asked.

"I've told you many times, I can't always give you what you want," Sasuke said emotionlessly, avoiding her question yet again. He turned around and stalked away, leaving Sakura alone. She suddenly felt like crying. He looked back briefly, and she thought there was something near regret in his eyes, but then he was gone, and there was no guarantee that she hadn't just imagined it.

* * *

That evening, all three members of Team 7 gathered at Ichiraku Ramen for dinner. There was bit of a rift between Sakura and Sasuke, as Sakura was still stinging at her boyfriend's cold words earlier that day. Naruto may have noticed this, or he may not have, but he didn't comment on it, seeming happy to slurp his ramen without conversation. Sakura stirred her noodles around in the bowl, wishing she could see some answers in the steaming water. She wondered if getting into a relationship with Sasuke had really been a good idea - sure, no boyfriend could always give his girl what she wanted, but it was something of a problem when he couldn't give her _anything _she wanted. 

Sasuke didn't seem all that interested in his food, either. An optimistic glimmer inside Sakura suggested that he might be thinking of ways to make it up to her, but she squished it. _Why did he even become my boyfriend anyway? _she thought, completely depressed by now. _He still treats me like an annoyance. _

She struggled through the rest of supper, then rose to leave, bidding farewell to the two boys. She was halfway down the street when she felt something brush her shoulder. She turned to see Sasuke standing behind her, his face carefully composed.

"Sakura," he said. Any other boy would have been twisting his fingers nervously, but that kind of childish, undignified behaviour was way beneath an Uchiha, of course. Sakura waited for him to continue, trying to suppress her hopes. But it was difficult - every time she stomped on one shred of optimism, another one popped up somewhere else.

"Sakura, when I say I can't always give you what you want, I don't mean that what you want isn't what I want," Sasuke said, his voice cautious. He knew he was out of his depth with this touchy-feely stuff, but he was giving it a try all the same. Sakura had just figured out what she thought he meant by that confusing sentence when he started on a new one. "Sometimes it's not what you, or I, or we, _want. _It's more of what I _can _do, without... losing sight of..." he trailed off. His face still wasn't giving away much, but it was obvious from the way he struggled to express himself that he was in turmoil, and this made Sakura soften towards him.

For once, Uchiha Sasuke threw caution to the winds. "What I'm trying to say is, I can't always give myself what I want, either." He stopped, then resumed. "But right now... I can." With that, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, not pulling away, not even stiffening, when she put her arms around him. Sakura was shocked, but she knew that this kind of thing would be rare, so she let herself sink into the kiss.

When they pulled apart, Sakura saw that Sasuke had returned to his usual cold self. "Don't expect that to happen often," he warned, folding his arms over his chest.

Sakura smiled. "I don't," she assured him. She thought she understood now what Sasuke had been trying to tell her. _He likes me... loves me? but he doesn't want to compromise who he is. He's not the type to jump all over me with hugs and kisses - he shows his appreciation for me differently. And I'll bear that, because I love him too. _

Sasuke nodded, and Sakura was sure he had read her mind, or nearly. "Good night, Sakura," he said, and walked away.

"Good night..." Sakura said softly. _He said he can't always give me what I want, _she thought. _But maybe what I really want aren't passionate displays of affection - maybe I just want to love and be loved. And now that I know I have that, I can be happy. _She smiled again and waved to her boyfriend's back. "...Sasuke-kun."

At that moment, Naruto ran up to Sakura, breathless. "Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed. "You left your bag in the restaurant!" He handed her a purse. She accepted it gratefully.

"Thanks, Naruto, you're a lifesaver!" she said warmly. As she slid the purse strap over her shoulder, she spotted a strip of white sticking out of the zipper. Sakura unzipped it a little ways to pull out the white, revealing it to be a folded-up torn piece of paper napkin. _How did that get there?? _she wondered, unfolding it. There were three words scrawled neatly inside:

_Remember to flick. _

She replaced the strip of napkin in her purse with a quiet, pristine laugh. _Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, I will. _

* * *

"Well, that's over," Sakura said, relieved, as she finished her story. 

"I wish I'd been there!" Ino enthused. "It would have been amazing to see Sasuke stumbling over his words like that - so _human_!" They all laughed. "But it didn't beat mine for cuteness, did it, girls?" Ino asked.

"Probably not," Tenten agreed. "But it had some nice, wholesome true love in it!"

"That's wonderful, Sakura," Hinata said softly. She had been listening carefully, and had realized that the moment Sakura had been retelling had been a key point in Sakura and Sasuke's relationship, and was probably one of the main reasons for the love and harmony between them now. And she, like Sakura, knew there wasn't any greater gift than that.

Unfortunately for her, by making this heartfelt comment, Hinata had also attracted attention to herself. "I think I know who's going next!" Ino crowed, looking pointedly at the timid girl.

"W-what?" Hinata stammered, with a deer-in-headlights look in her eyes. She turned to Tenten for support.

"Sorry, Hinata," Tenten said, shrugging apologetically. "Temari's a special guest, so she automatically gets to go last, and it's down to us two now. Better you than me!" Poor Hinata was so flustered she couldn't put together any kind of defense at all.

Temari felt sorry for Hinata, but couldn't help being elated at the fact that she still had a little while before the dreaded time when she would become the storyteller. _Hinata's story, then Tenten's, _she thought. _That's probably about half an hour. Better than nothing. _She smiled encouragingly at Hinata. "Don't worry, Hinata, this way your turn will be past."

"B-but..." Hinata was still trying vainly to refuse.

"Ino and I went, and we survived," Sakura pointed out reasonably. "It's not as bad as you think. Please, Hinata, will you go?"

"Please?" Tenten added.

"_Pretty _please?" Ino begged, with her most charming, sympathetic expression.

Temari noticed that Sakura, Ino and Tenten were all staring at her expectantly. "Oh, er - yeah, please?" she said hastily, realizing what they were getting at.

Hinata melted under the earnest pleading stares of her four friends. "O-okay," she said, a trifle reluctantly. "My... b-boyfriend is N-Naruto." She said the word "boyfriend" as if it frightened her, which is quite possible.

"We know!" the others chorused. "Go ahead, Hinata! We're rooting for you!" Tenten declared.

Hinata smiled faintly, tried unsuccessfully to force the blush in her cheeks to fade, and hugged her pillow so tightly that some of the stuffing popped out.

* * *

Well, that's another chapter done, and I hope it measured up to your standards! Lol, Sasuke wasn't the only one who was stumbling over his words - I had so much trouble writing this. I had a much clearer picture of what I wanted for this chapter than for the last one, but I just couldn't get it down the way I felt it should be. I'm still not really satisfied with it, but I don't know what to do to improve it, so if any of you have an idea I would be tremendously grateful! Your reviews are the brightest part of my day, so keep them up. Coming soon, NaruHina! 


	4. Chapter 4: Meaning and Moonlight

Here's Chapter 4. It came a little later than usual, I know - I had trouble finding inspiration for this one. Hopefully you'll like it anyway! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please, please keep it up.

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Chapter 4 - Meaning and Moonlight 

Hinata stayed silent for so long that Ino opened her mouth to make an impatient comment, but Temari elbowed her. Hinata wasn't the type of person who should be rushed into doing things. She would start in her own good time. And she did.

"W-well, there have b-been a lot of sp-special m-moments with Naruto-kun and me," Hinata began shyly. "I'm g-going to tell you about the t-t-time when I got to understand a b-bit more about h-him. It was one s-summer n-night..."

* * *

It hadn't been a good evening for Hinata. Her father had been on her case. Normally Hyuuga Hiashi merely acted as if his eldest daughter didn't exist, but occasionally he would have a "discussion" with her on how she brought disgrace to the clan. Hinata always left these discussions with her wall of self-confidence reduced to ashes and a heavy heart. _I'm a disappointment to everyone, including myself, _she thought, holding back tears.

On nights like this, it was her habit to make her way to the top of the small hill only a slight distance away from the Hyuuga compound and sit there, looking down on Konoha. This was exactly what she did, but as she neared the summit she spotted the silhouette of a figure already there. Timid as ever, she considered going back so as not to disturb them, but she really didn't feel like returning to the compound for a while yet, so she continued the climb.

When she reached the top, she was surprised to note that she recognized the person occupying her usual place. Spiky blond hair, blue eyes, so bright that they almost seemed to glow in the dark, whisker marks just barely visible in the twilight - it could only be Naruto-kun. Hinata hesitated - he looked very serious, as if he were deeply contemplating something. Should she alert him to her presence, or leave him be? He saved her the trouble of making the decision, however, as he turned to stare at her.

"Hinata?" he said, sounding surprised.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered, flushing.

"Come sit with me," he invited, recovering from his surprise. He smiled at Hinata as she tentatively seated herself on the grass beside him. His smile looked more pensive than usual, though. "Do you come here often?" he asked her.

"S-sometimes," Hinata admitted. "Do y-you, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah," he replied, and they said nothing more for a long time. Finally, with an effort, Naruto looked at Hinata and said, "This place has a lot of meaning for me."

"R-really? H-how?" Hinata inquired.

"Well, two reasons. One, it was sitting up here that I first decided I wanted to be a ninja. From here I have a good view of the Academy, you see, and I used to watch the kids train there, when I was just a little tot. I could just watch for hours and hours, and I knew I wanted to be one of those kids. I wanted to be able to fight for myself and for everything I believed in, and I wanted to be acknowledged for my fight. I was only four when I decided that, but I still have the same goal today."

Hinata nodded. She understood perfectly, and she knew he could sense that, so there was no need to say anything. She shot a sideways glance at Naruto, curious. She had not seen him in this mood before - a reminiscent, pondering mood. She liked him this way, though. She liked him any way and every way.

"The second meaning this place has for me is that it was where the first... the first... attempt on my life was made," Naruto said, his voice becoming very soft. Hinata straightened, rigid with shock. 'Attempt on my life'? Did he mean that the way it was usually used?

Naruto had noticed her astonishment. He grinned wryly. "Yeah, I meant what I said. I was just little... I was sitting here... this guy crept up on me... I didn't notice until... he had kunai..." he trailed off, unable to conceal a small shudder as he recalled a horrible memory. Hinata reached out involuntarily and touched his shoulder, wanting to bring him some comfort. She made as if to draw her hand back, but Naruto was just sitting there, head low, and so she left it. She was shocked and horrified by this. She had noticed the way people looked and acted towards Naruto - how could she not?, but she hadn't thought, had never wanted to think, that anyone had ever gone so far as to try to _kill _him. Not for the first time, Hinata wondered why someone as kind-hearted and amiable as Naruto could be so hated. She looked over at the boy beside her.

"Naruto-kun..." she said very quietly. "Whatever it is, it's not your fault."

Naruto turned his head to look at her, and smiled gently. "Hinata... thank you." She wasn't quite sure why he thanked her - for comforting him, perhaps, and for not asking why...?

Suddenly the sparkle returned to Naruto's clear blue eyes. "Hinata!" he exclaimed, delighted. "You didn't stutter on that last sentence!" He took her hand in his, so abruptly and quickly that it took Hinata's breath away. "You don't stutter on the important things, do you?"

She dropped her eyes, remembering Hiashi's harsh words to her not long ago. She couldn't believe that what Naruto said was true - she stuttered on so many things, and all of them were important to her.

He seemed to know what she was feeling, because he reached out and touched her cheek with his finger. "You're important, Hinata. Never forget that. Someone who's worthless could never give so much to me. I just wish I could give something back."

Hinata couldn't allow that. "B-but Naruto-kun, you've g-given me so m-much already!" she protested. "When I w-watch you f-fight, I know I c-can fight too! W-when I see you t-train so hard, it inspires me to b-be better..." she stopped, blushing furiously.

"Really?" Naruto said, sounding genuinely wondering. "I never knew... I could help anyone that way..."

"You d-do, everyday," Hinata told him gently.

"But, Hinata, you don't need to be better," Naruto told her firmly. "You just need to be _you. _Because being yourself is the best way to be, no matter what others say. Okay?"

Hinata made the mistake of looking up. Immediately she was caught in the deep, mesmerizing gaze of those youthful blue orbs, their power over her reinforced by the moonlight dancing in them like a hundred twinkling jewels. Naruto was leaning towards her, she was melting inside, she couldn't feel, but if she could feel nothing then why did she feel so much?

Unable to take it anymore, Hinata pulled away, stammering, "I-I have to b-be home, N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto released her hand. "Okay, Hinata," he said, and he didn't sound hurt, or disappointed. He stood. Already on her way down the hill, Hinata turned and asked timidly, "N-Naruto-kun... will I s-see you here again?"

Naruto grinned at her, the huge, ear-to-ear grin she loved. "Believe it!"

* * *

"Aww, Hinata, you ruined it!" Ino complained when Hinata had finished. "If you hadn't pulled away, he would've kissed you!"

Hinata just smiled. _Naruto-kun and I had everything that night, _she thought. _We didn't need the kiss. _

"Shut up, Ino!" Sakura said. "That was so beautiful, Hinata! I never knew Naruto could be like that! And I never knew..." she stopped there, sadness flitting over her face.

Hinata, remembering that Sakura and Naruto were on the same team, said anxiously, "Y-you won't t-tease him about it, w-will you?"

"Of course she won't," Tenten assured her. "A gentle side in a male is something to be valued, not ridiculed!" Temari grinned roguishly at that. _Maybe so, _she thought, _but it's just too hard to resist making fun of it. _She almost laughed out loud, recalling all the times she'd ragged Shikamaru about his un-tough side.

Tenten decided to head everyone off. "It's my turn," she said resignedly, "no need to point it out to me. My boyfriend is -"

"Oh my gosh, what's Neji doing walking up the driveway carrying flowers?" Temari asked, peering out the window with a comical look of astonishment on her face. Tenten jumped up, her face going red, then white. "_What!! Where??" _

Tenten looked out the window for herself, then glowered at Temari. "Neji's not there!"

The other four girls laughed themselves silly. "Good one, Temari!" Ino gasped out, almost crying with amusement. "The look on Tenten's face - !"

"Well, we definitely know who Tenten's boyfriend is now," Sakura said, and that set them off on another round of giggles. Tenten glared at Temari, although the effect was somewhat marred by the fact that her lips kept threatening to turn upwards in a smile.

"You're next," Tenten said through gritted teeth. Temari realized with a sinking heart that she was right - after Tenten, it would be _her _turn.

"We've stopped laughing, you can start, Tenten," Ino prodded her friend.

"I'll make mine extra short," Tenten promised, an evil grin playing around her mouth, "since I know Temari is just _dying _to go."

"Shut up, Tenten," Temari growled.

Tenten had no intention of shutting up, however. "Oh, and there's another plus if I make mine short - then we can get to make-up sooner!"

"Now _that's _just being unnecessarily cruel," Temari complained, rolling over and hiding her head under a pillow. Tenten lifted up a corner of the cushion and whispered, "What shade of lipstick do you want, Temari?"

"Aaaarrgghgh!" Temari cried, dashing to the other side of the room. "Just leave me alone and tell your stupid story!'

Tenten sat down, pleased with herself. "That will be my pleasure." Then she looked at her friends, their expressions ranging from an almost hungry eagerness (Ino, obviously) to nightmarish terror (Temari), and gulped. "Or not."

* * *

Is it just me, or are the chapters getting worse? This one really sucks. And sorry for the lack of romantic action, but with someone as clueless as Naruto and shy as Hinata, you don't get into stuff like that right away. Thanks for reading, and reviews are much appreciated, as always! Also, if you guys like this story, check out my other two oeuvres ( I just think that word is so cool), "Where We Left Off" (SasuSaku) and "Zero" (Naruto-Sasuke friendship fic). I really need reviews for those stories. Thanks, and hang around for the next chappie, NejiTen! 


	5. Chapter 5: ScrewUps and MindReaders

It took me a little longer than usual to write this chapter (especially since I started a new story, _Barriers and Bridges) _but I like what the end product looks like. This turned out better than I expected, especially since I'm not really all that keen on NejiTen. I pretty much only did this pairing because Tenten needed a boyfriend, and I don't see any other options besides Neji or Lee. I crossed off Lee almost immediately :P even if I think Lee is awesome!! Well, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5 - Screw-Ups and Mind-Readers

Tenten looked expectantly around at the others. "So, what's your order?" she asked. They exchanged confused looks. "...Order?" Hinata repeated.

"Well, yeah!" Tenten said. "What do you want in the story, serious drama, light love, or...? Should it be long or short?"

"Something _juicy_!" Ino squealed. Temari looked at her as if questioning her sanity.

"Do you really have any cute moments?" Sakura wanted to know. "I always thought Neji was sort of like Sasuke - not a very light guy, to say the least."

Tenten shrugged unconcernedly. "Meh, I could find something. Anyway, you never specified that the stories had to be _true, _Ino..."

"Tenten!" Ino whined.

"Just do whatever you're comfortable with," Hinata said gently.

"I don't care about the content, just make it really, really long!" Temari put in, unable to forget that her turn was next. Normally she was all for the face-your-fears-head-on approach, but everything was different now that it came to telling her own private stories of romance.

Tenten smiled at that last comment before saying, "I'll do my best to please all of you..."

"Which means, you'll please no one," Ino interrupted. Tenten glared at her, coughing to get everyone's attention back. "Like I said, I'll do my best to please all of you..."

"Seriously, Tenten, stop stalling," Sakura butted in this time.

"Fine, _fine!" _Tenten huffed. "Okay, okay, here goes..."

* * *

Tenten had always thought that Team Gai was the most screwed-up Konoha Genin squad, after Team 7 of course. After all, you couldn't really compete with a team whose members included a guy whose entire family had been murdered by his own brother, and a dude who'd been horribly abused by pretty much everyone since birth. But still, there were definitely some screwy things about Team 10. 

There was Lee, obviously. Lee was... Lee was Lee, enough said. As for Hyuuga Neji, well, his own clan had branded him and forced him into a position of servitude, not to mention that this same clan had handed over his father to be killed.

Then it came to herself, Higarashi Tenten. She didn't know quite where she was screwed up, but there was definitely something weird about her. What kind of girl couldn't care less about her appearance? What kind of girl wasn't interested in dates or gossip? What kind of girl only wanted to train, and keep on training? No girl she knew, that was for sure... except herself. Even Gai-sensei had accused her of having no life, and he was a train-aholic! Plus, Lee had offered her his help in finding a boyfriend - which she had declined a little too quickly for proper courtesy - and if that wasn't the ultimate sign of a screwy life, she didn't know what was. Her friends had to practically drag her away from training to get her to have some fun. Although, for her, training _was _fun.

Really, the only person who never tried to dissuade her from spending all her time on training was Neji. She often ran into him during her afternoon practices. He would acknowledge her with a nod, and she would stop to say hello before continuing.

This particular day, she walked into a clearing only to find Neji sitting cross-legged on the grass, Byakugan staring through a bush in front of him, kunai in hand. A leaf blew off a tree several metres behind him, and a second later it had been sliced clean in half by a kunai. Neji, except for his hand, hadn't moved an inch. Tenten admired his accuracy. _He's really good with that Byakugan of his, _she observed.

Unusually, he actually turned towards her, deactivating his Bloodline Limit. However, it only took normal eyesight to spot her sweat-soaked shoulders, heavy breathing and red, scratched face. "You should take a break," he said in his quiet, authoritative voice.

Tenten was surprised. He had never told her to stop training before. She had always thought he approved of her strict regime. "Why?" she demanded.

"You're tired," Neji told her simply. "Pushing yourself is good, but not to the point where you're hurting your body more than you're strengthening it." Tenten opened her mouth to argue, then realized he was right. She _was _more exhausted today than normal. She had overstrained herself before, and she knew that it wasn't pleasant.

She didn't know what made her say it. She just _said _it. "I'll take a rest if you'll take it with me." It sounded childish, coming out of her mouth that way, but she couldn't think of any way to take it back without seeming even stupider. Neji looked her over thoroughly for a moment, then said, Sasuke-style, "Hn." He got up to stand beside her, so she took that as an "okay".

"Where are we going?" he asked her, not sounding very curious.

"Do we have to go anywhere?" Tenten said, plopping herself down right where she stood. "We can rest right here." Neji looked at her as if trying to figure out a mildly frustrating math problem, then sat beside her. Tenten leaned back, resting her head on the grass. She was suddenly conscious of the dirt stains on her outfit, and the mess that was called her hair. _Why do I care all of a sudden? _she wondered. She shot a surreptitious glance at Neji. _You know, when it comes to hotness, he could be the Uchiha kid's match. _She suddenly sat bolt upright, fighting a blush as she realized exactly what that thought had meant.

Noticing that Neji was looking at her strangely, she lay back down. "Boy, am I glad that Byakugan can't read minds," she muttered.

When Neji spoke, he sounded slightly amused. "What an odd comment."

"Have you ever considered getting yourself a girlfriend?" Tenten asked, then kicked herself. What kind of dumb personal question was that, especially when you were asking someone like _Hyuuga Neji_?

"It has crossed my mind," Neji said carefully.

"So what's stopping you?" Tenten knew she should stop before she embarrassed them both, but she wanted to know!

"I am not... _experienced... _at making... romantic overtures," Neji said stiffly. Tenten thought this over for a minute, then burst out laughing. "Sorry..." she gasped, covering her mouth. "It's just... the way you paused, and the way you put that sentence together..." Another chuckle escaped her.

Neji said nothing, and Tenten could only hope she hadn't offended him. When she had calmed down a bit, she assumed a serious tone and said, "Even if you don't have any romantic experience, you should still go for it. I mean, you have to start somewhere."

"Do you think so?" he asked. He actually sounded interested.

"If I didn't think so, I wouldn't have said so," Tenten said, rolling her eyes.

Neji paused. "Well, then... would you like to go somewhere for dinner tonight?" The polite way he asked this completely threw Tenten off course.

"Uh..." she began, confused. "What does that have to do with..." Then it hit her. Hyuuga Neji was asking her out. _Hyuuga Neji was asking her out. _Hyuuga Neji was asking her OUT! It was only the sudden lightness of her spirit that told Tenten this was what she had been wanting. "Yes!" she said.

Neji nodded. They sat in silence until Tenten said, "That was a really weird lead-up to your asking me on a date - although I suppose it shouldn't be, it was really direct, obvious even."

"You started it," Neji pointed out. Tenten wanted to protest, but he was right, _again. _

She sighed - must he always be correct? "Why argue with a screw-up anyway?" she wondered out loud.

Neji stared at her, completely surprised. "Did you just call me a "screw-up"?" he asked incredulously.

Tenten's chocolate-brown eyes widened in puzzlement until she recalled what had come out of her mouth. "What - no! I didn't - I said -" _I meant to say "genius"! _Tenten thought, panicked. _So how did "screw-up" slip out? _Neji was still watching her, looking as stunned as the stoic Hyuuga could, and she felt that more explanation was in order.

"I didn't mean that, Neji!" Tenten said in distress. "You're not a screw-up, you're just..."

"Screwed up," Neji finished wryly.

"No, no!" Tenten continued to protest, flustered. "You're a Hyuuga, a genius,..."

"A screw-up," Neji broke in again. "Don't be ashamed of speaking the truth, Tenten." She couldn't tell what he was feeling - was he upset? Offended? Amused? She gave up trying to fix her mistake. "It was just a slip," she sighed dejectedly.

"A plain slip, or a Freudian slip?" Neji wondered, those pupil-less white eyes of his narrowed thoughtfully.

"A Fru-what?" Tenten repeated, nonplussed.

"Freudian slip," Neji explained. "When you're thinking one thing and intending to say another, but you accidentally say what you are actually thinking, it's called a Freudian slip."

Tenten sorted that out in her head, then came up with the oh-so-intelligent response, "Ah." She bounced back with, "It's okay to be screwed up, you know."

"I do," Neji said, then, perhaps feeling he'd been a trifle unclear, specified, "know."

"Well, _I _know that we should probably get back to training," Tenten said, reluctant to say the words that would end their "rest". She had always been hard on herself when it came to the ways of the ninja, however, and she had already missed more time than her training routine usually allowed.

Neji stood and held his hand out to hers. She placed hers inside his and he pulled her briskly to her feet. But things didn't stop there. Tenten didn't know if she overbalanced and tumbled forwards, or if Neji tugged her a little too hard, but she ended up somehow pressed against his chest, and then all of a sudden his lips were on hers. Tenten's hands entangled themselves in Neji's long black hair, his arms were around her waist, and their bodies were curving around one another.

Neji pulled back gently, releasing his embrace but steading Tenten with one arm like the gentleman he was. He watched her carefully, looking for signs that he might need to apologize, even though he wasn't sure who had really gotten the kiss going. But Tenten, pink-cheeked and bright-eyed, looked nothing if not happy.

"How did you know that's exactly what I was wishing for??" she demanded, breathless, then turned a bit redder at this outburst of undisguised exuberance. Neji smiled a little and said nothing.

"Are we still on for dinner, then?" she asked, when it became clear he didn't have an answer. She was almost hoping to catch him off guard. But Neji hadn't forgotten. "Of course," he replied.

"Good." With a wave, Tenten began to stride out of the clearing. Neji turned to leave as well, saying softly, "Who knows? Maybe the Byakugan _can _read minds."

Tenten didn't know if he had intended her to hear that, but hear it she did, and it raised her ecstasy even further, if that was possible. She smiled again, thinking, _Yes, who knows?_

* * *

"Sweet!" Ino exclaimed as soon as Tenten had finished.

"Neji's a little like Sasuke," Sakura reflected, "Only less... difficult."

Tenten agreed. "You'd be surprised how expressive Neji can be when he gets going. One of my favourite activities is goading him into outbursts of emotion. It's hard, but fun, and I think it's good for him. Guys like Neji and Sasuke are practically emotionally retarded - it's up to us, their girlfriends, to cure them of that problem. Are you up to the challenge?"

"I'm totally in!" Sakura said, and the two girls sealed the deal with a handshake.

Ino looked to Hinata. "Can the Byakugan really read minds?" she asked curiously.

Hinata, a Byakugan user herself, smiled timidly and shook her head. "Byakugan sees the way Chakra flows through the body - it doesn't reveal the brain's thoughts."

"Guess you and Neji were speculating wrongly," Ino said to Tenten.

"I still say, who knows?" Tenten declared, sticking out her tongue. "Anyway, I think Neji meant it figuratively. Or something."

Meanwhile, Temari had been sitting very still in the corner, hoping against hope that the others would forget about her. Her luck ran out, however, when Tenten turned towards her with an evil grin, saying, "We all know who's next!"

"_Tem-a-ri!" _Ino and Sakura sang out, pronouncing each syllable of her name as a separate word.

Temari wanted to make a run for it, and she would have, if she hadn't thought of all the teasing she would endure at Shikamaru's hands when Ino told him that the fearsome woman Sabaku no Temari had fled like a frightened child from a simple thing like telling a story. Temari had this thing about never showing weakness, especially in front of Shikamaru, and she decided that she would prefer to be mortified by revealing her love life than be humiliated by Shikamaru's mockery.

"Okay, I'll spill, as you put it..." she began crossly.

"Yay!" Ino whooped gleefully.

"...On one condition," Temari finished.

"What's that?" Tenten asked.

"No make-up!!"

* * *

I liked this chapter, all in all, and I don't think I did _too _bad a job at keeping Neji and Tenten in character. Hmm... can't really think of anything else to say here, so I'll just put out the usual plea for reviews and thanks for reading. Hope you liked Chapter 5 of "A Konoha Girls' Night Out", and hang in there for Chapter 6 - it's ShikaTema, one of my personal favourite pairings!


	6. Chapter 6: Checkmate

Sorry I made you wait so long for this chapter. But did you guys ditch me or something? I didn't get a single review for Chapter 5. That makes me sad :( Well, anyway, please be nice and review Chapter 6, to bring the smile back to my face!

* * *

Chapter 6 - Checkmate

It took Temari a while to reconcile the others, especially Ino, with the idea of no make-up. Temari didn't know how girls could like painting their faces pretty colours, but a surprising amount of them did, and she didn't see why she had to suffer because of their weird whims.

Eventually, the girls' curiosity to hear Temari's story overcame their desire to have fun with lipstick and eyeshadow, and they agreed reluctantly to her terms.

"To make a sacrifice as big as this, your story'd better be good!" Ino threatened.

Temari winced. What Ino thought was good was really very, very _bad _in her eyes, the eyes of the teller herself. The type of story Ino wanted was a "juicy" one - in other words, the exact type that Temari dreaded saying aloud. But, like any truly fearsome woman, she took the plunge.

"Yeah, well, my boyfriend's that lazy idiot Shikamaru," she said resignedly.

"And, and, _and?" _Ino prompted, leaning closer in. Temari leaned further away in response. "And back off, I need some room to breathe!" she said, glaring. Her four friends scooted back, but just a little.

Temari began. "My tale begins after the Chuunin exams..."

* * *

Sabaku no Temari was not a woman who took anything lying down. So no way was she going to let that _bum, _who had been too lazy even to defeat her, get away with showing her up in front of a crowd and then not even bothering to take his winnings.

She seethed inwardly as she thought of that match in the Chuunin exams. She hadn't been worried about her opponent beforehand, labouring under the misconstruction that Konoha ninja tended to be soft. She had watched him walk in, or rather _fall _in after being pushed out of the stands by that hyperactive blond kid, with considerable contempt. He was lean, but seemingly completely void of muscle. His face had a mulish look of indolence that she didn't like. And why the heck would anyone willingly put up their hair in such a way as to make them look like a pineapple??

She had to admit that his shadow techniques were interesting, but she thought she'd figured out his limit - until he passed it. That's when she'd started to get serious. She became frustrated when, no matter what she did, she still had an irritating feeling that she was a few steps behind this shadow master. And this uncomfortable hunch would prove to be right, when she was caught from the back by the shadow tendrils he deviously extended past their limit. She would never forget the horrible feeling of that moment when she realized she no longer had control of her body - that this lazy loser was making her walk forward and raise her arm, that she had no free will. And then, to top it all off, right when she thought he was going to knock her out, or make her forfeit, or _something, _he released his hold on her and quit the battle under the pathetic excuse that he was _out of Chakra. _That no-good, dirty, rotten, pride-injuring lazy bum!

She had put him out of her mind, if not really forgotten him, for two years, until Gaara became Kazekage and the three Sand siblings took a diplomatic outing to Konoha to settle the matter of a possible Suna-Konoha alliance. You can imagine her surprise when she was met at the city's gates by none other than that lazy moron from the past.

Temari's first thought upon seeing him was, _Wow, he's changed. _He was still lean, but that leanness didn't conceal the muscle and sinew hiding under his skin. He was also noticeably taller - Temari remembered him as being shorter than her when she fought him in the Chuunin Exams, but now he stood over her, and would most likely have been even taller if not for his slouching posture. His face hadn't been altered too much - the expression was just as unenthusiastic and indolent as before, but his features looked a bit harder, more grim. That same pineapple head hairstyle was there, which caused Temari to smirk. "Nara Shikamaru," she said.

"Oh?" he said, slouching over even more and lifting one eyebrow. "You know me?"

"You don't know _me?" _Temari demanded, insulted. Sure, it had been two years, but if he had the nerve to forget their battle... her thoughts of violence were forestalled, however, by a look of remembrance passing over his face.

"Oh, you're the girl from the Chuunin Exams," he realized. "The Sand... Sabaku no Temari, right?"

"Correct," she said stiffly. She thought she saw a flash of humour in his small dark eyes, and had a sneaking suspicion that he had been teasing her, testing her limits, by pretending he didn't know who she was. This enraged her, as in her opinion he'd done the exact same thing in their Chuunin match.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere right now?" she shot at him. "By which I mean somewhere _else_?" Kankurou, her younger brother, looked vaguely amused. It hadn't been two minutes since they'd run into this guy and Temari was already being rude to him. Gaara, the youngest of the three siblings and Kazekage, rebuked his elder sister expressionlessly. "Temari."

Shikamaru seemed to recall that Temari was not the only one there, and he turned to Gaara and Kankurou, bowing (but not very low, Temari noticed with displeasure). "Good afternoon, Kazekage-sama, Kankurou-san," he said politely.

"Who, precisely, are you?" Kankurou asked, bemused.

"Nara Shikamaru, Konoha's ambassador for proceedings with Suna," he replied. Temari didn't know how he did it, but somehow even his tone of voice was lazy.

"Oh?" Kankurou cocked one eyebrow. "Temari's your girl then. She's, er, Suna's ambassador for proceedings with Konoha."

Temari frowned thunderously and fingered her fan. Kankurou, although unsure of what he'd done wrong, took a step back - he knew that dangerous look all too well. "I'm _nobody's _girl," she said. "Get bent, Kankurou. And -" she stopped. She'd been fully intending to say, 'And you, get bent too', to this Shikamaru guy, but, being Suna's ambassador, she supposed she had to make a good impression.

"If it's not too much trouble, it would be greatly appreciated if you could take us to Hokage-sama's office," Gaara said, very mildly, but at the same time authoritatively.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama," Shikamaru said, and led them to the Hokage Tower at what was, Temari couldn't help but note, a painfully slow pace.

For the next thirty minutes, Gaara and Tsunade, the Hokage, discussed matters of high politics with occasional interjections from Temari. And the whole time, that irritating Nara just leaned against the wall in a corner, smirking quietly to himself like he knew a secret she didn't.

Finally, Tsunade said, "Kazekage-sama, you may wish to remain here to further discuss the situation, but your sister and brother are free to wander the city as they please. Our ambassador Nara-san can act as their guide." Gaara agreed cordially, and Temari and Kankurou found themselves outside with Shikamaru at their side. Kankurou took one look at Temari's disgruntled expression and decided to get out of the danger zone. "I'm a bit tired," he said hastily. "I think I'll go to our hotel and rest up."

Temari gave him a withering glare as he left. Kankurou was often an annoying companion, but for some reason she didn't relish the idea of being left alone with the Nara. He had _really _rubbed her the wrong way.

"So where do you want to go first?" Shikamaru asked, sounding plainly bored.

"I don't care," Temari snapped.

"Do you like Shougi?" Shikamaru offered unexpectedly. _Shougi? _Temari thought. _That game of strategy? _She had never been a big player, but every so often she would sit down and have a game with Gaara, during his rare moments of spare time. "I guess," she replied.

"We could play it at my house," he said, watching her carefully.

"And why would we do that?" Temari asked bitingly, but she was genuinely curious.

"Because it's less troublesome than anything else," he said, quite clearly actually, no muttering. 'Troublesome'? Wasn't that the word he'd used several times during their battle? But, Temari reflected, it was a word that perfectly suited his attitude.

"Whatever," she said, and taking that as a yes, Shikamaru led her to his own home, a pleasant, small wooden house. A woman was hanging wet laundry on the line outside, and she greeted them warmly. "Hello, Shikamaru! Is that your girlfriend?" She seemed excited at the thought.

"Not quite, Mom," Shikamaru answered calmly, but Temari thought she'd caught him wincing at his mother's words. For some reason this made her angry - what was so bad about having her as a girlfriend? "This is Temari, Suna's ambassador." Mrs. Nara looked somewhat disappointed, but she was friendly enough towards Temari, and eventually left them to their game.

"So, think you're going to win?" Shikamaru asked. Was that a challenge she detected in his tone? Well, Sabaku no Temari wasn't one to back down from a challenge. "I _know _I'm going to win," she said confidently. Then she decided to take an extra step. "In fact, let's make a deal. If I win, we have a rematch."

"Hold on," Shikamaru protested, "I can't fight Suna's ambassador. What would the Hokage say?"

"I don't know, but that'll be _your _problem," Temari said, smirking most meanly. "And if I lose...I'll go on a date with you." She didn't know what had possessed her just then. A date? With _him? _But, she decided, this would show him that she wasn't afraid to play with big stakes.

"A date?" Shikamaru repeated, his customary mask of indolence disrupted by astonishment. Then he thought of all the ways he could make her regret ever making this deal when they were together, alone, on a _date_ at her suggestion. "It's a deal."

"Good. Get ready to lose, shadow boy," Temari told him.

A few minutes later, Temari wasn't feeling so cocky. Every move she made with her pieces, he countered with ease. She couldn't help but make a small frustrated noise when one of her plans was thwarted yet again. He smirked lazily and said, "You'll never catch me off balance." And Temari could only watch with poorly concealed horror as Shikamaru made his final move, clinching her doom. He lifted his hand from the board and looked at her smugly. "Looks like you lose," he told her. "So, now I guess I can tell my mom you _are _my girlfriend."

"Don't you dare," Temari hissed. "Let's just get this stupid date over with."

* * *

Their date passed agonizingly slowly at first. Shikamaru slyly chewed her out in every way possible for losing to him, and in such an underhanded manner that she couldn't even accuse him of rudeness. But when they got past that part, and started to really talk about things in general, she found herself thinking, _This isn't even that bad. He can make intelligent conversation when he tries. _Her opinion of him, although it didn't exactly skyrocket, certainly went up over the course of the evening, especially when he almost gallantly paid for the dinner.

"Well, might as well go the whole troublesome mile and walk you home," Shikamaru said with a sigh and a stifled yawn when they were out in the street.

"Just because you cover up everything you say with the word 'troublesome' doesn't mean I don't see through you," Temari said coyly. "Admit it - you like our date. You like me. You're _enjoying _this."

She wished it was a little less dark, then she could have known for sure - but even without daylight, she thought she'd noticed his skin flush. But he didn't miss a beat, coming back with, "Yes, I'm enjoying the thought of what kind of situation you'll be in when I tell your brothers about your little date." The darkness definitely didn't cover up the huge smirk on his face.

Temari gasped. He wouldn't do that, would he? That would be the peak of embarrassment, especially since she'd just told Kankurou she was "nobody's girl". And Gaara had this annoying streak of protectiveness when it came to boyfriends, too. She'd never live it down if they found out. "You - you'd n-never..." she said, horrified to hear herself stammer.

"Oh, yeah?" He was having fun with this torture, she could tell. "How will you keep me silent?"

Temari actually grabbed him physically by the shoulder and spun him to face her. "Why, you -" she began, maddened beyond reason. "I'll keep you silent - like this!" She was about to punch him when suddenly a different idea struck her. Well, not so much an idea as an insane, random urge. Then, completely unexpected by both Shikamaru and herself, she shoved herself forward and pressed her lips to his, quite hard. And, what's more, he didn't push her away. After the initial shock, he responded warmly, winding his arms around her.

When she pulled back, she was absurdly pleased to see that he was practically reeling. Stunned shock made a nice change from the usual expression of boredom on his face. "Looks like I just caught you off balance," Temari said, satisfied. "What is it they say - checkmate?"

Shikamaru snorted, a bit shakily. "You cheated, you troublesome woman."

She smiled sweetly at him before turning away with a triumphant, "Good night, and toodle-oo!"

As she let herself in to her hotel room, she thought to herself, _Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite fair play. But still, checkmate. _

* * *

Sakura sighed romantically at the end. "You and Shikamaru are totally made for each other," she said. Temari raised one eyebrow. "What about the beginning of the story? We weren't made for each other _then." _

"Of course you were!" Tenten contradicted. "The fact that you were so outspoken against him proves how much you really like him! Right, Ino?"

"Makes perfect sense," Ino agreed. Temari rolled her eyes. _Ino could never pass a logic test. _

"You're a good storyteller, Temari," Hinata complimented, smiling shyly.

"Thanks, Hinata," Temari said. "But next time you guys plan a girls' night, count me out, unless it consists of very different activities."

"Maybe we should have a training party or something," Tenten suggested. "It could be fun."

"That actually sounds good," Temari said, and Hinata nodded. Sakura and Ino looked incredulous, however. "A _training _party?" Ino repeated. "Are you crazy? Our senseis already drive us into the ground!"

"Muscle pain is much preferable to the pain I experienced _here,_" Temari muttered, but none of the others heard.

"Well, now our storytelling's done, we can get started on make-up!" Ino said happily. Temari hem-hemmed. "I believe we made a deal about that." Ino pouted while Tenten said slyly, "Yeah, and this one turned out considerably better for you than that one you made with Shikamaru." Temari threw a pillow at her head.

"What are you talking about, Tenten?" Sakura demanded. "If Temari hadn't made that deal, her and Shikamaru's relationship might never have gotten started! She should be _thankful _for it!" Temari sighed. Couldn't they find a subject to discuss besides make-up and the love life of Sabaku no Temari?

"We can watch the movie now," Hinata suggested quietly. _Noo! _Temari thought, then remembered with relief that she had taken the liberty of hiding the movie under the pillow she was sitting on during Tenten's recital.

"Yeah!" Ino said, regaining her enthusiasm. "...Where is it?" All the girls searched, except Temari, who pretended to search while really concealing the true hiding place of the movie. Finally they gave up, and Ino flung herself moodily back onto the bed. "Well, if we can't do make-up, and we can't watch the movie, what _can _we do?" she wanted to know.

"Oh, something'll come up," Temari assured her. And it did, for at that moment, the doorbell rang.

* * *

Cliffie...lol :P I had to force myself to write this chapter at first, but as I got more into it it became easier, and I don't think it was a complete disaster. Hope you liked it, and please, please review this time!! Oh, and the story's not over yet, in case you didn't notice the cliffhanger, although the end is nigh. Awesome word, so much cooler than 'near' - nigh. There will be one other chapter, I think, in which the identity of the doorbell ringer(s) will be revealed. Hold on, and don't forget to review! 


	7. Chapter 7: Surprise!

Chapter 7 is up, and yes, this is the last chapter. So, enjoy it to the fullest!

* * *

Chapter 7 - Surprise! 

The girls' conversation was interrupted by the vibrant "ding-_dong_" of the doorbell. Temari looked at Hinata, Hinata looked to Tenten, Tenten looked at Sakura, and Sakura looked at Ino, but none of them found any enlightenment on each others' faces.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked.

"I have no idea," Ino replied, and had barely finished her answer before Mrs. Yamanaka called down to her, "Ino, honey, could you please get the door?"

"No problem, Mom!" Ino shouted back. Turning to her friends, she shrugged and said, "Guess we're about to find out." The five filed down the stairs, stopping by the front door. They exchanged curious glances, then Ino put her hand on the doorknob and threw open the door.

First the girls were blinded by a bright flash of light accompanied by a clicking noise, and only regained their sight in time to spot a multicoloured shower of confetti raining down on them. Then their eardrums were almost busted by the loud, brassy tone of party horns being blown. When all their senses, and their nerves, had recovered from the shock, the five figures standing on the doorstep became clear to their eyes.

The one they recognized first was Naruto, as he stood in the very front with his trademark face-splitting smile. He was beaming even more brightly than usual, and he held a camera - that explained the bright flash and the clicking. To his right stood Sasuke, a slightly amused smirk on his incredibly handsome face, hands in his pockets as if to prove that he'd had nothing to do with the confetti-throwing or horn-blowing. To Naruto's left was Chouji, his party horn still between his teeth and traces of confetti on his stubby fingers, grinning sheepishly. In the back were Neji and Shikamaru, the former as impassive as ever, although a twinkle of humour in his eye betrayed him, and the latter looking as if he thought the whole matter was troublesome and wondered how he'd been dragged into it.

The two groups simply stared at each other for a moment, then the boys at the door chorused, "SURPRISE!" Chouji and Naruto's voices were the loudest and most enthusiastic, but underneath them you could make out Sasuke's soft grunt, Shikamaru's lazy murmur and Neji's even tone.

Naruto skipped inside and twirled Hinata around before pulling her into an affectionate hug. She blushed but returned the embrace with evident pleasure. Sasuke, less up-front, walked over to Sakura and ran his fingers gently through her hair, combing out the confetti that had landed in her bubble-gum pink locks. Most of the shock in her eyes was replaced by adoration and gentle happiness as she moved almost imperceptibly so as to be closer to him. Chouji released his mouth-hold on the party horn and went to Ino, face becoming redder and redder as he got closer to her, then leaned over and pecked her quickly on the cheek. She let out a slight gasp at his boldness, then threw discretion to the wind, grabbing his shoulders and kissing him full on the lips. Neji moved to stand beside Tenten, looking a trifle uncomfortable and stiff, but she loosened him up effectively by resting her head on his shoulder. As for Shikamaru, well, he caught Temari's eye rather tentatively before approaching, and didn't quite manage to duck her blow. He came up rubbing his head and muttering something about troublesome women while passing his arm around her waist.

When she and Chouji had pulled apart, Ino suddenly drew herself up to her full height and assumed her most stern, punishing expression. "What do you men think you're doing??" she demanded aggressively. All of the couples broke apart, surprised. There was silence until Ino continued. "What d'you think gives you the right to barge in and crash our party, huh? This is called a _girls' night _for a reason, you know." Everyone, including the female members of the group, gaped at Ino. Ruthlessly, she ordered, "Well, what are you waiting for? Out. Out! Next time, ask for an invitation!"

The boys wordlessly shuffled toward the door. Ino felt a laugh bubbling inside her at their wide-eyed obedience, but she held it back. Naruto, the look of a wounded puppy in his big, childlike blue eyes, whined, "Aww...but, Ino..."

She couldn't hold it in any longer. Ino burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, you should have seen your _faces!" _she giggled uncontrollably. "Like a bunch of little kids caught making trouble by the big, scary teacher! _Priceless!" _She calmed down enough to tell them, "I was just kidding, guys. Feel free to crash the party. But next time, be a little more original than confetti and party horns, huh? Those are _so _ancient history."

Shaking their heads and laughing ruefully, the five boys made their way back to their prospective ladies. Shikamaru muttered to Chouji in passing, "How do you put up with a girl like Ino, anyway?"

Chouji grinned as Shikamaru dodged another swat from Temari. "Probably the same way you deal with _her_." Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the ceiling through half-closed eyes. "You mean, by getting used to the constant pain?"

"Let me show you _true _pain," Temari said evilly, pulling Shikamaru close so that her lips could touch his. Although they did a little more than just _touch. _

For the rest of the night, the young ninja of both sexes mingled, enjoying each others' company. Very few of them got any sleep to speak of, but they were all happy to remain awake and laugh the night away. Temari discovered that guys can "spill" at least as well as girls, much to her amusement. Naruto had some particularly entertaining stories to tell, most of them pertaining to his adventures with the famous pervert Jiraiya. After hearing of his exploits, Temari was just glad he had a tough woman like Tsunade to slap him into shape. A man like that, no matter how great a ninja he was, definitely needed supervision.

* * *

The next morning, it was time for Temari and her brothers to depart from Konoha and return to their native land of Suna, and the Konoha Genin gathered to see her off. Despite being bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, Temari smiled into the horizon. The lush greens and rich browns of the forest before her looked beautiful in the morning's mellow sunlight, and she knew that her beloved Suna lay beyond. She exchanged a parting kiss with Shikamaru, under the attentive eyes of Kankurou and Gaara, her brothers, and said her goodbyes to all the girls.

When she reached Ino, the fashion-obsessed Yamanaka was distracted, trying to pat the frizz out of her pale blond hair. "Why did you have to leave so early, Temari?" Ino demanded, exasperated. "I didn't have time to brush my hair properly! And _why _didn't I bring my handheld mirror?" Temari rolled her eyes. Was this what you called _mature_? She smiled anyway, having developed a liking for the feisty, gossip-loving kunoichi. "See you, Ino."

"Bye, Temari!" Ino said, pulling Temari into a bone-crushing hug. "I'll miss you!"

"Uh, yeah," Temari said, disengaging herself from Ino's surprisingly strong grip. "So will I."

"You'll have to let me know when your next visit to Konoha will be," Ino said eagerly. "Then I can plan another Girls' Night while you're here! They're so much fun!"

Temari paused. _Another Girls' Night? _she thought. _Can I possibly survive another ordeal like that one? _Then she remembered lying on the soft carpet of Ino's room, curled up with Shikamaru's arms holding her and his hair brushing her cheek. _Then again, it wasn't so bad._ She shifted her backpack on her shoulders and grinned roguishly.

"Sure thing, Ino."

**The End**

* * *

Well, there's _A Konoha Girls' Night, _complete at last. I hope everyone liked the story, and I really want to thank everyone who stuck with it to the end and supplied me with those life-giving reviews - thank you so much, you guys all rock! I hope there was something in here for all of you Naruto romantics out there (that's me, too!) And remember, even though this story has come to an end, Naruto and all its characters haven't, so let your imagination run as far and as fast as it wants to! 


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